Last year, Gilbert Highland got a taste of the playoffs for the first time since 2008, but that experience was short-lived.

The team was defeated 44-14 in the first round of the Division I playoffs by would-be champion Chandler Hamilton and ended the season 6-4.

This year, with a strong, talented senior class, things look promising for a stronger finish and possibly a longer stay in the postseason.

“Their expectations are extremely high,” coach Pete Wahlheim said. “I don’t use words like state championship and all this stuff but they understand they should be a playoff team and they should make a run when they get to those playoffs.”

The offense will again be led by quarterback Blake Young, who came up halfway through his sophomore year with several other junior varsity players to help Highland’s varsity squad rebound from and disastrous 0-5 start to end up 4-6 in 2011. Having a quarterback like Young on the team is like having a coach on the field, Wahlheim said.

This year Young has a stronger arm and a better ability to read multiple players at a time, his coach said. But what stands out most is the senior’s durability, even if he comes in on the smaller side at 5-foot-11 and 174 pounds.

“He’s undersized but he’s tough,” Wahlheim said. “He’s started 20 games for us and he’s never missed a snap.”

Defensive ends Grant Gale and Grant Thompson make up the bookends to a very solid defense that is full of returning talent.

“We’ll build our defense around them,” Wahlheim said.

Highland will be tested right out of the gate this year, opening the season against the Division III defending champions Queen Creek.

“They are as good as anyone else we play,” Wahlheim said. “I don’t believe in this big-school, small-school stuff.

With so much talent and experience, Highland finally has all the pieces in place to be a very good team.

The large sophomore class that saved the 2011 season is now fighting to create its own legacy. Their experiences have made them an inseparable group, Wahlheim said.

“That’s 90 percent of it — just getting the guys to play for each other,” Wahlheim said. “They’re going to win a lot of games this year just because of the way they care about each other.”

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